Kids, Pinita and Cake!

Photos are not in order.

At church we like to do a 5th Sunday Potluck Style Dinner.

This Sunday just happens to be Karlee's 4th B-day so we added a little surprise for all the kids.

This is the mug shot of others celebrating B-days this month.

Karlee love anything princess so we decided to surprise her and the other children with a princess pinata! Hubby rigged up pulleys so he could raise and lower it.

The mask I brought didn't fit so the kids were on their honor to keep theirs eyes shut when it was their turn at bat. No one cheated. It was so cute watching the really little ones try hit. Carl would lower the pinata down till it touched their head and even the 3 yr old got a couple of good whacks in.

Karlee the B-day Girl taking the first cut into the cake.

Cousin Andrew was on hand to help if she needed him.

This beautiful Princess Castle cake was made by Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nick.

The kids were so excited to see her carry it into the party.

Cousin Ben age 3 taking a swing.

Family and Friends are what make a day fun.

Today we got to spend time with both and added food, fellowship and fabric.......to be continued....

FNSI worked on Pink Sues

I didn't get a lot done last night but was able to play with my Black/White and Pink Sue's.

This will be for my daughter's niece.

I am going to consider borders and adding her name.

This was cut using my BABY GO and scraps from cutting out an Apple Core Kit. This 'series' of Hand-Me-Down fabrics is going to show up in several projects this year.

Mid week report- brag??

Favorite youngest grand daughter, Breely is now sitting up by herself! It is amazing how quick they grow up!

I started playing with the sunbonnet sue blocks for Abra's quilt. I have decided to make 4 Sue's and the rest of the blocks tri/sqs.




This should be a wild busy quilt when I get it done.

I had a few misc blocks left over from my RRCB mystery quilt. I pieced them into a section to add to the back of this thrift shop sheet.

The sheet was a $1.00 purchase. It was about 6" too narrow (I did my top square 5 x 5 blocks)

I am please with how well the colors go together.

Almost looks like I knew what I was doing- lol

I piece backs all the time and prefer to use sheets when possible. This is the first time I actually pieced part of the front blocks onto the back.

I am thinking I like it. The busy flower sheet hides the seams and floats the scrappy patch.

I had posted a photo of Dawns sailboat quilt top and promised I would find out where she got her pattern.

She was nice enough to bring the book and a photo of her quilt to church so I could snap a shot.

Dawn chose not to add the background strip at the top of each sailboat and made up for that by changing her border just a bit.

The pattern can be found in Sugar Sack Quilts by Glenna Hailey.

Our quilt group met last night and agreed that we are going to each work on a version of Debrah Cohen's Celtic Knot. I can't wait to show off our progress.

Have a great week- cheryl

FNSI- report and hopefully repeat

While the rest of the world was busy sewing up beautiful future heirloom projects....

I got side tracked working on my List of 11 Quilting Things TO -DO in 2011.

I can already cross #1 off my list! The book is done. (I get extra points for adding the list to my side bar!)

I can mark off #5 also, I have made a UFO list and posted it along with photos.

I get one check mark for #11 (sew-in), # 10 (worked on a new utility quilt) also counts as a check for #7 (a New To-DO)

A couple of weeks ago Dawn gave me a yard sale find. Several rows of the 9-patch blocks were set with a purple sqs of fabric. The setting fabric was in very bad shape.

All total there were 48 Nine-Patches of which I ended up saving 36.

The blocks were all hand sewn and a bit wonky. (just the way I like it- uh huh, uh huh)

I re-sized to 6 1/2". I then sewed into Four larger 9-patch units.

My choices now are to set them together and add a border- applique butterflies perhaps?

Or, cut them up into a D-9, then add borders- applique????????????

Or...my favorite.....let them sit around until I get other ideas.

With the hand stitching I really need to commit to getting some sort of border on so the blocks don't pull apart.

Some day this will be a scrappy take to the park, drag through the dirt quilt.

What did you do on your FNSI?

cheryl

11 UFO's

Drum Roll, another year in the number 1 spot- the winner is: scrappy Pine-Apple, paper pieced, all cut and sorted and it even has it's own drawer. Last year I purposed to work on it or give it away. Proud to say I am still the owner, one more block completed!

#2 4-patches from Pam. I can either make one really large quilt, or two med. size ones or 4 small or 8 puppy size. All the 4-patches are sewn together, these have been waiting to get put on the TO DO list.

#3 Sort and cut Kit from the RW&B scraps. Great use for the BABY GO.

#4 Dresden to set on point from Stack & Whack style class in 2010. Just b/c I can teach it doesn't mean I can do it- lol-finish that is.

#5 I still need to make a T-Shirt quilt for Brian from my office.

#6- Auction find, 50 state flower blocks have been un-sewn, need to re-size and re-set. Dare I plan to quilt it too?

#7 What is this?

cont.... yard sale Dresden plates. I planned to sew onto split blocks and doing something funky with them.

#8 not a cat....

- my fabric for the traditional Stack and Whack. The class all finished theirs last year. Mine is still in the bag.

#9 These are the scraps of the scraps.

I need to finish cutting the triangles with my BABY GO and sew them into sets. I would really like this to be on the list to quilt this year.

#10-It's a tie-- Here comes the collection of black, white and pinks. Sunbonnet Sue OR the Pink Apple Core, I want to make a quilt for our daughter's niece. Which ever one gets done first goes to Abra.

And.......#11- the one most likely to get done...... PB&W scrappy Butterflies. I love butterflies. I have 63 cut and ready to applique. The week I get this top finished I will do a give-a -way of the left over scraps!

So there is my list of 11, is anyone taking bets as to how many I work on? (Notice I didn't say complete) be good cheryl

FNSI- don't forget to sign up

I don't always get to sew on a Friday Night so I rarely officially sign up but..... due to all the snow I am going to be home- yeah!

Join me and the hundreds of other quilters as we take advantage of the night.

Hubby is headed to bed, he has to leave out on a trip so I will have a quiet house! Along with sewing I hope to pull TO-DO's and UFO's and start some sort of a list on how to work/finish them.

Judy L is doing a 12 month color theory challenge and I hope to stay caught up with that project. January was YELLOW and I am pretty pleased with my progress.

I have been wanting to do more of Tanya's Wonky letters and hope to piece a yellow JAN to add to the border of my completed challenge piece.

I don't normally get excited about New Year's Resolutions but this year I think I will take it slow and commit to 11 things I hope to accomplish this year, (I originally thought 2,000 and 11 things but that is just nuts!)

#1--Compile a list of the 11 things!

#2-Host 11 Give-Aways on my Blog. Starting in Feb on the Eleventh of each month till then end of the year.

#3-Make at least 11 donations to on-line quilter/friend's favorite projects.

#4-Follow Judy Laquardia's Color Challenge, ...AND..organize at least 11 colors of fabric along with the color each month. Jan/Yellow- done!

#5-Identify at least 11 UFO's (I'm not committing to working on them just find then and add them to a list- lol)

#6-Machine quilt for my personal collection at least 11 quilt tops sewn prior to 2011

#7-Start at least 11 new TO-DO's (Everyone spends so much time vowing to finish stuff, I am going to purpose to start some)

#8- Teach &/or Learn at least 11 New quilting techniques

#9-Cut out and Kit at least 11 projects using my new BABY GO

#10-Sew at least 11 favorite go-to projects to have on hand for gifts.

#11-Participate in at least 11 Sew-Ins on-line &/or Live Body.

Part of my sew-in time is going to be taking inventory of my New 11

Any and All suggestions will be considered (who is going to teach me to make a side bar?)

The photo is of a top that my good friend Dawn is working on. I was thrilled to let her pull from my stash. Can you see what fabrics were mine? Just kidding- even I don't remember. I will share her finished masterpiece along with info on where she got her inspiration. That might have to be one of my 11 things TO DO this year!- be good cheryl

Yellow Flower

The yellow is all scraps from Alycia. I added the black for background and my own scraps for the letters.

I think I did a good job using up all her small pieces.

The saw tooth border was cut using the smallest triangle die with my BABY GO.

I didn't iron or re-size and most were cut on the bias so there is some distortion. (I like it)

The letters are cut free hand and I will raw-edge applique them.

Judy is doing a color a month challenge and I am considering ideas for making large blocks to add to a quilt.

I had started this scrappy flower block from material and blocks that Dawn gave me.

I have several ideas to make it larger. All involve me pulling more fabric and using my cutter!

Maybe I can work on it tonight and start my FNSI a little early.- be good cw